The Role of Glaciers in the Hydrologic Regime of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Basins

• Main Authors: Alford, Donald, Kamp, Ulrich, Pan, Caleb
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2015
• Subjects: SNOWFALL; ALBEDO; FLOODING; GAUGING; ABLATION; SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT; ALTITUDE; MELTING SNOW; COVERING; CALIBRATION; FLOW; CONFLUENCE; TEMPERATURE; ABSORPTION; SNOW; MELT WATER; ANNUAL RUNOFF; DISCHARGE; METEOROLOGY; WATER SYSTEMS; HYDROLOGY; CHEMICAL WEATHERING; PROGRAMS; WATER SUPPLY; RESERVOIRS; QUANTIFICATION; SNOW ACCUMULATION; EVAPOTRANSPIRATION; WATER TOWERS; AVALANCHES; GAS; MEASUREMENTS; HUMIDITY; SOLAR RADIATION; AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY; WATER RESOURCES; CATCHMENT AREAS; AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS; RADIATION; SNOW COVER; ICE COVER; SPRING; RIPARIAN COUNTRIES; CATCHMENT BASINS; INTERNATIONAL WATER; DEBRIS; LEADS; MELTING; BASINS; CONTAMINANTS; ARIDITY; WATER USE; WATER; SNOWDRIFTS; CLOUDS; HYPSOMETRIC CURVE; WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT; DRAINAGE BASIN; SNOW LINE; RAINFALL; SCIENCES; DRAINAGE; GLACIERS; AQUIFERS; CONSUMPTIVE USE; NAVIGATIONAL CHARTS; STREAMFLOW; CHEMISTRY; SNOW PACK; CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA; RUNOFF; BASIN; FROST; LEAD; CLIMATE CHANGE; DROUGHT; BARRIERS; SNOW MELT; CLIMATE; GLACIAL LAKES; SNOW FALL; SNOW DEPTH; SNOWMELT; DRAINAGE AREA; CATCHMENT; COLORS; DRAINS; MONITORING STATIONS; RIVERS; ANNUAL STREAM FLOW; ANNUAL FLOW; DRAIN; FLOW GAUGING; WATER RESOURCES PLANNING; SURFACE RUNOFF; HYDROLOGIC REGIME; EROSION; ENGINEERING HYDROLOGY; LAKES; LAND; ICE MELT; ENGINEERING; SNOW FIELDS; IRRIGATION; WATERSHED; BRIGHTNESS; GROUNDWATER; METERS; CONSERVATION; COAL; ICE; EARTH SCIENCES; GLACIER RUNOFF; ICE AGE; LESS; RAIN; PRESSURE; CATCHMENT AREA; SEA; ICE DYNAMICS; PIPES; GAUGING STATIONS; CLIMATOLOGY; EVAPORATION; GLACIER—RUNOFF; RIPARIAN; CHANNEL; ENERGY; MINERALS; REMOTE SENSING; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24082; http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/05/24445269/europe-central-asia-assessment-role-glaciers-stream-flow-pamir-tien-shan-mountains

The headwaters of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya in the western Tien Shan, Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains are a major source of stream flow into the Aral Sea Basin. The water security—affecting energy and food security—of this region and the consequent regional dynamics and politics are connected to these headwaters. Recent concerns related to climate change, glacier retreat and stream flow from these mountains have served to illustrate the very limited understanding that exists concerning the hydrologic regimes of the mountain headwaters of these major river systems as well as of the glaciers, that are a component of those regimes. A better understanding of these hydrologic processes is critical for assessing the amount and timing of water supply and hydropower available (both current and future) for the various countries in the Central Asia region that have headwaters originating in these mountains. Such an understanding is also critical in making estimates of runoff changes under a climate change future. This is the main objective of this study.